Well Temperament

Well Temperament is a subject that I am very passionate about.

There is more than one way to tune a piano; in fact there are hundreds, but we got stuck in a rut in the last century with just one (Standard Equal Temperament). Well Temperament is a type of tuning that all the major composers from Bach to Rachmaninoff composed upon. During the last century this tuning has been all but lost to us until just recently.

Well Temperament gives music more color and depth, because each major and minor key has its own unique emotional qualities. What Well Temperament does is make the music come alive in a way that is really unbelievable. The major keys sound happier, more pure and the minor keys sound sadder, more tragic, more melancholy. And each key is different and unique unto itself. The music sounds the way the composers meant, and when one hears it that way, one is astounded at the brilliance of some of the composers usage of this tuning in their compositions.

Well Temperament may open up an exciting new door to the enjoyment of music that you never before knew existed. Tuners and pianists the world over are quickly realizing that changing to Well Temperament is like hearing in black & white your whole life and suddenly changing to color. I believe that most classical concerts should be tuned in Well Temperament, and some day no doubt they will be again.

In order to shine a light on the subject for others, I have enjoyed writing articles, and doing performances, lectures and making videos, in which I tune two or three similar pianos to three different historical tunings, and play the same pieces of music on them to explore the differences in the tunings. People, even those with no musical training, are amazed at the differences.